| Phase 41 I emerged in the elevator room, meeting up with Fei, Maria, and Rico, who�d also gone through the emergency shaft, though it was a different wing. I was about to ask where Billy was when a quick flash in my head showed him engaged in a polite conversation with Zephyr. That boy sure knew how to make a good impression and gain strong allies. I mean, think about it. Margie, Bart (that one�s still in progress), Zephyr . . . If anybody could talk Solaris out of their deranged state, I�d put all my G on Billy. Anyway, Siebzehn�s bay was dark. I looked around. � Come out, Dominia! Fight me! I�ll make you pay for forcing me to use Drive!� Fei turned to me. � You used �Drive�?� � Not voluntarily.� � Does Bart know?� � Does he? Ha! He saw it happen!� I glared around again. � Dominia! Come out and fight me, coward!� � Kris, you little wench. What are you doing here?� � This is my home, moron! Buzz off!� � I thought you wanted to fight me.� � I thought you were much too cowardly to come out, so I offered you the chance to turn tail and crawl back to Ramsus!� A gun went off and Dominia grabbed her shoulder and hissed in pain. She looked over to her left. � Jesiah!� He let the gun barrel rest against his shoulder. � Still harassing my officers, child? Get lost.� Dominia growled. � I am no child, traitor!� � I don�t care what you think you are! I�m calling you a child! Now scram!� He lifted his gun again, but Dominia got out of there. I�m sure he could have shot and killed her still, but he didn�t. He looked down at me once she was apparently gone. � That was pretty stupid, Kris.� � What? I could�ve taken her!� He made his way down to the floor and came over to me. � Yeah, you might have, but think of it this way. Wind and Earth are elemental opposites. With you not keeping up with your Ethers, they�re pretty weak. They wouldn�t hurt her as much as hers would hurt you and you�d be dead in two rounds.� I snorted and headed for the door. � I could�ve taken her. I wasn�t planning on relying on Ethers like she would have.� Returning to the Queen�s Room, I found the others there. � How did you all get here?� � Shevat was kind enough to pick us up,� Citan explained. � It is what caused the security breach.� There was an explosion and the room shook slightly. A Shevat guard entered. � Queen Zephyr! Solaris is attacking! They�re everywhere!� I spun and ran to the doors as Fei came the opposite direction. He stuck his arm out and caught me, effectively preventing me from leaving. I fell backward and tumbled over and over, finally coming to a stop a sharl or two from the Stepping Stones in front of Zephyr�s platform. The room tilted and my head went with it. Arms went around me from behind and my brother stood me up. � Sorry about that. Had to stop you somehow.� � It hurt.� � Then don�t go running off like that.� I scowled. Why were all the men I knew so . . . distressed for me when I tried to go out and help somebody? My dignity ruffled, I made another dash for the door. But a shock of electricity zipped through me, freezing my ability to move and ramming me head-first into the doors. I clutched my head and collapsed to the floor, curling in on myself. I heard someone run over to me, but they had hardly gotten within two sharls of me before their feet slid out from under them and they dropped to the floor beside me. It was Bart. Damn it, I was broadcasting again. I closed my mind off and Bart gasped at the sudden relief. He slowly got to his hands and knees, then to his feet. � . . . That was one hell of a headache.� Fei rushed over. � Bart, are you okay?� � Yeah.� Fei reached for me and I shoved his arm away. � Don�t touch me!� I rasped. � But . . .� Bart placed a restraining hand against the inside of Fei�s shoulder. � Listen. If this is anything like normal, it�ll fry your nerves. Do as she says. You saw. I didn�t even touch her and it hurt me.� Of course, that didn�t prevent either of them from watching me worriedly. I laid there on the floor and writhed in pain, unable to speak or even open my eyes. In what seemed like forever, I was finally freed of the cruel pain. I let out my held breath and relaxed on the floor. Both Fei and Bart knelt beside me and touched my arm. When nothing happened, Fei picked me up and returned to the others. � Is she all right?� Zephyr asked, concerned. Bart nodded. � This happens every so often at odd intervals. Though I think there are two different things causing it. She�ll be fine in a bit.� Planning began then. The four Gates had to be guarded from Solaris. I was ready to help; Shevat was my home just like the Yggdrasil. I had a duty to protect it. � I can help.� They all looked at me as if I�d lost my mind. � What?� � Don�t be stupid, Kris,� Bart snorted. � You can�t pilot a Gear safely in your condition.� � Well I could sure as hell pilot one in my condition better than you could normally!� � Excuse me?! Huh-uh! You did not just say what I thought you said!� Fei rolled his eyes and went over to Bart. � Look, I have a Gate to protect.� And with that, he all but dumped me into Bart�s arms. As he walked off, he muttered, � Why don�t you just get married already?� Bart and I glared at his retreating form. � Shut up!� Without turning around, he waved absently as he followed after Elly, Billy, and Rico. I scowled. � Oh~h! I could strangle that boy!� � Why don�t we double-team him when he comes back?� I snorted delicately. � Good idea. You knock him over and I�ll sit on him and we�ll beat his face in.� He laughed. � Deal.� I squinted at him and he frowned warily. � What are you doing?� I sat up and reached for his bangs. � Hold still.� � What, is something in my hair?� � Yeah . . . Just . . . hold still.� I lifted my hand and grabbed a strand of hair, yanking it out. � Ow! Hey!� I held it up so he could see it and grinned. � Look, Bart. Your first gray hair.� � Thanks,� was the dry reply. � You�re making me age prematurely.� My grin widened. He noticed and frowned, saying slowly, � I know that look.� Then it registered. � Hey . . . How could you tell the difference? My hair is too light for that.� I snickered. � You stupid---!� He refrained from calling me the vulgar names he wanted to because he was in Zephyr�s presence (Maison�s efforts weren�t all wasted . . .), but I knew he�d get me back later. But it would be worth it; Sig would get a laugh and the teasing would start. On the full screen behind Zephyr�s chair, Achtzehn did . . . something. � Vierge isn�t responding!� � Weltall won�t move!� � Nothing�s working!� � Stier�s controls are stuck!� Citan thought. � It must be some type of jamming device . . .� Zephyr looked at Maria. � Maria . . .� � No! I won�t fight him!� � Siebzehn would probably have an anti-jamming device,� Citan put in. I could understand Maria�s unwillingness to fight who she thought was her father. I squirmed until Bart put me on my feet, then flipped the microphone to my headset down. � Axyl, start up.� Silence. � Axyl S240, engage anti-jamming signal and start up.� There was a pause. � Enter control code.� I was relieved. � Control code---!� Bart drew me back against him and kept his hand over my mouth. � What do you think you�re doing?� he questioned angrily. � You�re going to get yourself killed, you know.� I remained stiff and trembled. What�s the difference between you and me? Why do you always have the right and I don�t? � Because I�m a brainless male with an ego the size of Aveh�s desert. I have a stupidity factor that can�t be stuck on a girl.� He paused. � Are you shaking?� He shifted slightly and in that unbalanced moment, I pushed back into him a little, then bent forward as quickly as possible, throwing him over me and down onto the floor on his back. There was an oomph as he connected with the tile and I took a step away before kneeling and trying to stop my now visible shake. � Axyl,� I began unsteadily, � start up.� � Enter control code.� � Control code: 5-2-7-1, input.� � Control confirmed to Krista-Lyn Wong. Welcome aboard, Kris!� Zephyr turned to me. � Krista-Lyn, don�t go. You don�t know how you were affected by that pain.� I shook my head. � You all worry too much. I�m fine. Look, if Maria won�t fight, then Siebzehn is useless. She won�t listen to anyone else and even if she would, it would be stealing to use her anyway. Axyl is the last sure choice.� � But Achtzehn is a human brain in a Gear body,� Citan reminded me. � In a fight between you, there would be a period of hesitation while you went for the correct controls. That is hesitation that Achtzehn doesn�t have.� � And that is where MAC comes in.� � MAC?� � Mental Auto Control. With that system active, Axyl will run on my thought patterns. I suppose you could say it�s a more . . .�--I glanced at Maria and hoped she wouldn�t get upset--� humane type of Gear control.� � I have never heard of such a system.� � It�s very, very old. Just a little over five hundred years. Unfortunately, it can only be used by those with some kind of mental power.� � I remember hearing about that,� Zephyr said. � But it was all experimental. Are you sure it�s all right to use it?� � I�m not dead yet, am I?� I started for the door, pausing to kneel by Bart as he tried to breathe. � You�ll make it. For now, just be a good little prince and stay put.� I gave his chest a few pats, then stood. � . . . I hate you,� he coughed out. I smiled. � I hate you too.� � And don�t call me �prince�.� I stepped over him without answering and left. Down in the Gear bay, I went to Axyl and climbed into the cockpit. [It�s about time. Where have you been?] � I was held up.� [Obviously. So why are you enlisting me in a battle?] � Maria won�t fight and the other Gears are unable to function. Achtzehn jammed their controls.� [And I�m the only other Gear with an anti-jamming device? Where are they all from? Prehistory?] I directed Axyl outside. � Be quiet. They�re not built with such a thing. It has to be purchased separately and that�s expensive.� [What do you mean they aren�t built with it? It was standard equipment five hundred years ago!] � This isn�t five hundred years ago,� I reminded her. � Now Axyl, Achtzehn is a human/Gear hybrid. I want you to switch to MAC.� [Shifting to Mental Auto Control . . . Completed.] I reached into the upper panel and removed the helmet, unhooking the wires and putting it on. I changed one of the camera links from the helmet back to Axyl�s own cameras, leaving the other one to watch out for me just in case Achtzehn decided to go after me. I exited the cockpit and called the wings, then flew up beside her head. I�d be safe there when she first went forward to attack. All right, Axyl. Tune the controls so any spells I perform will be magnified for your own use. [Synchronizing pilot�s Ether Chi with Ether Amplifier Device . . . Complete.] Good. Let�s get this party started. <--Phase 40 Phase 42--> |